Rightside To Sell Premium Domains With $10 Renewals

Rightside announced today a pricing promotion on most of its premium domain names. The domains will be sold at premium prices but will carry a $10 renewal rate.

The reduced renewal and transfer costs will last for the lifetime of the domain registration. The registrant will be able to benefit from their domain’s promotional price indefinitely, up until its deletion. And should they transfer the domain to someone else, the new owner will also be able to renew and transfer the domain at the reduced cost.

The pricing promotion on almost all Premium domains in Rightside’s TLD portfolio will run from May 16, 2016 (17:00 UTC) to June 30, 2016 (17:00 UTC). Premium domains that carry the price category “Platinum” are not eligible. Special renewal pricing doesn’t apply to premium domains purchased prior to or after the promotional period.

During the promotional period, when customers register an eligible Premium domain from participating partners at the regular premium price, the wholesale cost to registrars for renewing the domain will be $10 beginning either immediately, or on July 1, 2016, depending on the registrar. Additionally, the wholesale cost to transfer the domain to others will also be reduced to $10. Registrars will be able to set their own retail prices, but renewal prices shouldn’t be more more than $15.

Here’s an example:

Premium Domain

Purchase at the Premium Price

Renew at Standard Price – Every Year

Transfer at Standard Price

New Owner Renews at Standard Cost – Yearly

AustinDivorce.Attorney

$2,500

$10 (saves $2,490 yearly)

$10 (saves $2,490)

$10 (Saves $2,490 yearly)

Rightside stated that this promotion should be “win-win for everyone involved”:

For domain investors – At these reduced prices, you’ll have more time to find the right buyer for any domains you register, and incur lower fees to transfer to them once you do. If you’re looking to add high-quality domains to your portfolio, this will be the time to do it.

For registrars – As one of the partners participating in this promotion, you’ll see increased opportunity to market and sell high-value domain names.

About Konstantinos Zournas

Konstantinos studied Computer Engineering and Computer Science in London and lives in Athens, Greece. He loves domains and building websites. He is online since 1995, learned about html in 1996 and got into domains in 2002. He started the OnlineDomain.com blog in 2012.

6 comments

But you know..it would even be nicer if for suckers like us who already bought some premium domains – they do the same!

We were the first to jump into the water, in good faith and make them money, so you will punish us and let new comers get better deals??!

Not cool at all! Remember the CEO who got kicked out and the pressure heating up?? Well offer these discounts to those who already stepped up to the plate. It would show you actually care about us… at least somewhat :-)) Once a domainer..(donuts..rightside…) always a domainer (??)

Same thing as .tv, unless you are willing to drop them you are going to be stuck paying that min amount for the life cycle of the domain.

Donuts got rid of alot of inventory when they let the reserved, and blocked domains go up for sale in 2015.

Premium pricing is a crap shoot you have terms like Car.Loans that have a $90 renewal, and then you have stuff like Fitness.Equipment which has a $500 renewal.

This whole system is broken, I agree the one time fixed price works on some accounts, but makes a difficult barrier to entry. Rightside extensions are not the greatest, and there is not much excitement around GTLD’s for investment grade, or long term development grade right now.

The renewal structure has little confidence with pricing going forward, anyone can say one thing today, and extension could be sold down the road, and prices could double who is to question anything without proper framework internally of such contracts.